Oregon State Parks: Del Rey Beach State Recreation Site

The ocean is a just a short walk from Del Rey's quiet, secluded parking area. If ever there was a place to play, fly a kite, build a sand castle or picnic, this is it. The sunsets can be spectacular, too.

The land was acquired in 1970 by gift from Clatsop County.

Acreage: 18.7

Annual day-use attendance: 103,210

A. F. Litt, September 20, 2020

I am not sure if Del Rey Beach and the Gearhart Ocean Wayside are actually the same place considering the quote above, but I am sticking it on this page until I figure that out for sure.

Chester H. Armstrong, History of the Oregon State Parks: 1917-1963

Gearhart Ocean Wayside is beach land located between the Pacific Ocean and the city of Gearhart in Clatsop County.

The entire area of 286.06 acres was purchased in 1939 from the Gearhart Park Company. It is tideland extending from Necanicum River north a distance of nearly two miles. It is the ocean front of the platted city of Gearhart.

Acquisition was to preserve the beach for public use. Its location is indicative of its name.

No record has been made of the attendance at this area.

Marilyn Gilbaugh, Drive on — literally! Learn all about Clatsop County’s drivable stretches of beach

Morning, noon or night, a 10-mile stretch of Clatsop County beach — from Gearhart north — can be accessed by passenger cars and trucks or what our lawmakers label “motorized vehicles.” Whether it’s a summertime day trip, an early morning clam tide or a glorious sunset in a secluded spot, with a car and a legally drivable stretch of beach, the good times roll in.

In Clatsop County, driving is permitted on the beach from Gearhart’s 10th Street beach access north for about 10 miles to the Peter Iredale Road exit at Fort Stevens State Park. It’s open all year, 24/7. From mid-September through April, another four miles up to the jetty at the south side of the Columbia River is open to drivers all day, too.

Thanks to the 1967 Beach Bill, the public has free use of Oregon beaches, which are designated as a state recreation area. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department regulates vehicle use on the beach through its ocean shore rules, and the state agency has established zones where cars are restricted or prohibited, taking into account concerns for safety, public access, scenic and recreation values, conservation and beach management.

Links

Oregon State Parks: Del Rey Beach State Recreation Site

https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=128

National Parks & Monuments in Distress: Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge

https://sites.google.com/view/nationalmonumentsindanger/national-wildlife-refuges/oregon-islands-national-wildlife-refuge

CLICK HERE to continue exploring the highway